


The Goblin Queen (Jareth x reader)

by Spocko_My_Man



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 00:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15852219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spocko_My_Man/pseuds/Spocko_My_Man
Summary: You are the main character, a teenage girl who wishes her little sister away, and must find her in the Goblin King's labyrinth before the time runs out. However, Jareth doesn't seem like a terrible husband.





	1. Just a Dream...?

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this whole story back in autumn 2016 and finished this about one year later, in 2017. Please forgive me for occasional grammar issues and misspellings, my English skills weren't brilliant back then.

Of course this had to happen.  
You are the top student of your class, you get the best grades. Then this day had to come. You are in the class and you do your exercises. Your teacher asks for an answer on the blackboard. You answer but get it wrong because you've forgotten one part of the answer.  
Well, that's not a big deal, right? But then the whole class starts to put shame on you. That's not fair and you know it. You, somehow, manage to remain calm and silent.

"What on Earth is this", you think, fighting back hopelessness. "Even the laziest pupils are shaming me."  
This has never happened before, your class is nice though a bit noisy.

 

After that, you get out of the class as fast as you can and storm through the corridors to the hall. You hear a voice behind you shouting:  
"Hey, Donkie Bonkie fan! Watch your feet!"  
It's a group of boys. The same group that always bullies you.

You shout out "It's David Bowie, you a-" and then you find out that you fall on the floor. Those bullies have stolen a jumping rope from the gym and lift it up just before your feet.

You hit the floor hard and fall on your elbows and knees. The group of boys leaves you on the floor and all of the boys laugh maliciously.   
"What a great end for this awful day", you think.

 

You get up from the floor and look around. Great, no teachers around. You go searching and find one and tell what happened. She says that she'll do her best with other teachers to stop the gang from doing anything worse to you.  
"Like that would work, it never has worked before..." you think.  
You thank her and leave the school building as fast as you can after you've taken your coat and bicycle helmet.

 

Your knees and elbows still hurt as you cycle home and practically run to your home door.

"I'm home!" you shout. There's no answer, only your annoying 10-year-old little sister Magda comes down the stairs.  
She doesn't hesitate to shout a bunch of curse words at you.

"What was that for?!" you shout at her.  
She grimaces at you and says with her most annoying voice: "You've put a candy paper under my carpet."

What? Is that an excuse for cursing at you? And you haven't been even close to Magda's room. You look at her with a fire of anger in your [eye colour] eyes and grab your backpack. You push her away, run upstairs to your room and slam the door closed. You throw your backpack across the room without giving a thought for your homework. You need to calm down before you break something. First the awful day at school and then this...

You wander around and see one of your favourite books on the table.  
Labyrinth. Reading it has always calmed you and you sit on the floor and open the book again.

After a few minutes you've been caught inside the story. The magic you've experienced breaks when Magda opens your door without knocking and calls you a cow. Then she slams your door closed.

"What the... " you think and look at your door in disbelief. Then you get angry again and shout: "How I wish that the goblins would take you away!"

Suddenly a window slams in Magda's room. You think that it's only her trying to break places. You continue reading and suddenly your eyes grow heavy...

 

When you wake up, nothing has changed. You look at your watch and only a few minutes have passed.  
"Umh... I must have fallen asleep."  
You go to Magda's door and knock.  
"Magda? You should say sorry. You know it's not nice to call other people names."

You could leave that speech to your parents but they're not home yet because they said that they'd be late at work. As every other day.

"Magda? You there?" you ask and when there's no answer you open the door. The room is empty.  
"Magda, where are you? This is not funny. Are you so mature that you can go and come whenever you want to?"  
Still no answer. You return to your room and sigh. Then a sudden whirl of wind comes in from your open window and something white and feathery comes in thru it.

It's a barn owl! A rare bird in your room! And it comes towards you! You duck and the bird turns around and flies in front of the window. Suddenly a blonde man stands in front of you. His hair is long, his eyes are different colour, the left iris is practically black because of a dilated pupil. He wears a black and glittery cape, tight gray pants and long leather boots. His grin is evil.

"Who... The... Hell are you?" you mutter and look at his eyes.  
"I am Jareth the Goblin king. I came here to tell you that I granted your wish. We took your sister to the Goblin City", he says with a British accent. 

You freak out. Magda in a weird city of Goblins... Wait... Just like in the book you just read!  
"Oh... I fell asleep. This must be a dream. So nothing to be afraid of, nothing can hurt me", you think.  
"Give my sis back, King. My mom will freak out."  
"So you don't want this gift I brought you?"

Suddenly there's a glass ball on his hand. He rolls it around.

"What is that?" you ask.  
"Just a crystal, nothing more. It can show you your dreams. But it's not an ordinary gift for an ordinary girl who tries to take care of an annoying child. Do you want it? Then forget about your sister."

"I can't. She's my sister."  
"[name], don't defy me." The crystal shows Magda surrounded by goblins.

You swallow hard.  
The Goblin King continues: "If you want your sister back... You have to solve the labyrinth. You have 13 hours before your sister becomes a goblin forever..."

 

"What labyrinth?" you ask. The king throws the crystal out of the window and suddenly there's a great maze. There's no ordinary world at all. You look at it and your room vanishes.

Jareth whispers in your ear: "Be careful there. The floor is a bit tricky."  
Then he's gone. You walk down a hill your room has become and go to the maze.

"Okay, this is a dream right..?" you think as you take the first turn to the left.


	2. Still a dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens to Magda.

You keep on walking through the maze for what feels like an eternity and turn at some point. The walls don't seem to remain in the same places and you get quickly lost. Once you try to climb a wall you don't manage because the walls are too high. You find a dead, short tree, put it against one of the walls and climb on it to the top of the wall. All you see is just endless labyrinth, you can't even tell where you began.

"What a crazy dream", you think as you turn around and see the castle. The path to it seems easy on the top of the walls, but as soon as you try to walk on them, a strange power sweeps you down. You hit your head and darkness comes.

You wake up on the ground. The tree is gone and nothing seems familiar to you. Your head aches and there's a small cut on your palm. It bleeds a bit.

"Ow, that hurt. Wonder how long I've been blacked out..."  
"'Ello", says a small voice form the wall.  
"I must be asleep, the wall just said hello..." you say to yourself and shake your head.  
"No, I said 'ello, but close enough", the small voice answers.  
"A-are you a wall? Who's talking?"  
"Nah, I'm just a worm. Come inside and have a nice cup o' tea."

You notice a small, blue and white worm that wears a red scarf. Suddenly you remember what the worm just said.  
"Uh, thanks, Mr, but I have to go. I just can't find the way. Could you help me, please?" you ask and stand up.  
"Well", the worm says, "things aren't always what they seem like in this place. Are you sure that you don't want tea? Or you could come inside and meet the Mrs."

You shake your head and say: "Sorry, I really don't have time for that." Then you turn around to face the wall.  
"But I can't see how... There's a wall here. Oh, there isn't!"  
You walk through a gap between the walls.  
"Now I see! Thanks, Mr worm!" you chant and begin to walk the left path.  
"Don't go that way!" the worm tries to yell but you don't hear.  
"Oh my, I have to tell Jareth..." he mumbles and goes through a small hole on the wall. 

 

You keep on walking and turning around the corners. The labyrinth doesn't seem to end at all and you've lost track of where you've walked. Then you get an idea. You scratch a mark on the pavement with a small rock. You go on walking and tracing your way.

 

In the castle Jareth watches you through his crystal ball. He smirks.  
"Does she think that she'll solve the labyrinth by doing that? Come on. That's an old trick."  
He glances at Magda who sleeps on the floor, guarded by goblins. Jareth calls one of his servants and tell him to tell the others to clean off the marks you've drawn. The servant leaves the room quickly.

You feel very clever as you walk between the walls. You've figured out a way to get to the castle. You see a chicken walking by and another one further on the way. You've come to a dead end and when you turn back your marks have vanished.  
"What? Someone's cheating. They've removed my marks", you mumble.

Suddenly Jareth appears in front of you.  
"No, [name], you're the one who's cheating. It's forbidden to draw marks."  
You get angry at Jareth.  
"But you're the one who brought me here! You're an adult man who kidnaps young girls! You're awful!"

Jareth laughs.  
"But you're the one who wished for her sister to get lost. What's said is said. You have two options: come with me and forget about your sister or try to save her. That's all up to you."

You hesitate for a moment. Then you say:  
"I will save my sister. At least she'll have a nice life back home. She's a spoiled brat."

Jareth laughs again.  
"I see. Your life aboveground isn't so glorious. I know everything that happened to you. Yesterday, today, a year ago, last Easter... Everything. You don't have any friends. Your family doesn't have time for you."

Your eyes sink.  
"That's true. I'm always the one who looks after Magda. Mom and dad are always working."  
Jareth softens his voice.  
"So? What about being a queen? You'd rule this place together with me. Or then you can run around in this labyrinth. You've got three more hours."

Three hours?! You must have been blacked out longer than you thought. How the time flies...  
"What if... What if I said yes fof being the queen?" you stutter.  
Jareth cocks his head.  
"Then you'd be the queen. It's as simple as that. And if you wish, Magda will be sent back home."  
"And if I said no..."  
"You'd have three hours to get to the castle. If you manage, you'll save your sister and maybe get back home yourself, back to your awful life aboveground. But after everything I've done for you... I took your sister away as you wished. I moved you through time and between two worlds. That wasn't easy."

You think about you life aboveground. School stress, getting bullied over and over again, nobody to talk to, busy parents, Magda... The list is endless. Then you think about your family again. Every holiday your parents are home and you have the time of your life. You feel unsure.  
The king holds a crystal in front of you.  
"Do you want it?"  
"Yes", you reply before you regret. The crystal ball starts to shine and suddenly the floor under you starts to crumble. All you hear is Jareth shouting your name in fright. Then you begin to feel dizzy...

 

You wake up and leer around. You're in your own bed in your room. Everything is like before. All your books are in their shelves, your drawings and posters are on the walls, your crafting supplies are on their normal places. You see your stereo and CDs. Everything looks similar as always.  
"Huh", you think, "what a strange dream. Wonder if mom and dad are home yet."

Suddenly you hear a knock on your Ziggy-poster covered door. It must be your mom.  
"Yes?"  
The door opens and Jareth the Goblin King walks carefully in. You freak out.  
"Wha- How- When- Why the hell are you here?!" you shout and throw your pillow at him. He catches it.  
"I came to see if milady's awake."

You feel hot tears running down your face.  
"What happened to Magda? Is she a goblin?"  
Jareth shakes his head.  
"No. She's back home just as I promised."  
"But I'm not... Does my family remember me? Do I still exist in the real world?"  
"Yes, your family does remember you. Your parents and Magda just think that you moved to a different country. You see, the time passes differently between these two worlds. But don't be sad. You won't get bullied here."

You grab your blanket and crawl under it. You cry and cry and cry. The king seems to be rather clueless. He sits on the edge of your bed.  
"Hey, it's not that bad. Think about everything nice you get here. And I even moved your room from your home to here."  
He stretches his hand and strokes your shoulder.  
"Go away you creeper!" you shout at him. Jareth frowns and sighs. He stands up, walks to the door and leaves the room.  
"Just yell if you need anything" he says before closing the door behind him.

You're alone.


	3. In Your Own Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring your room.

You cry until your head and throat ache. You want to think about something else than your previous life. Well, at least you've still got your fabulous room with David Bowie and other posters and drawings on the wall. You stand up and wander around in your room. 

Nothing seems to be different until you notice a new door.  
You open it and see a huge bathroom with all kinds of luxurious products. There's your favourite shampoo, conditioner and even soap, everything you can only dream of. There's also an antique bathtub and a shower in the bathroom. You look in the round mirror and see your red face and swollen eyes.  
You open the tap and rinse your face with cold water. It helps with the redness and you feel refreshed. Then you decide to take a bath. You quickly undress and open the faucet to fill the bathtub. As the water fills the tub you try to decide which kind of soap or bath bomb to use. You end up with a violet scented bath bomb. 

The tub is almost full and you close the faucet. Then you put the bomb in and watch the water turn light purple. You get in the tub. You relax in the warm water and the scent is wonderful, just like real violets. You lie in the tub like that for a while.  
"Maybe it's not that bad to be the Goblin queen..." you think. 

After for what feels like an eternity you take a towel, lift up and empty the tub. You take your clothes and go back to your room. The clothes you wore are dirty and worn so you open your wardrobe. from the outside it's just a cupboard but when you open the door there's no back wall at all, or at least you can't see it.  
"This is like in the Witch And The Wardrobe", you say to yourself as you step in. You're in a big walk-in closet that's full of [dresses/suits] in all your favourite colours. You pick a [fav. colour + dress/suit] and underwear and dress up. Everything fits you like tailored.

You return to your room and sit on your bed, wondering what will happen next. Nothing seems to happen at the moment, so you pick a book from one of your shelves and start reading. You keep on reading for a while and suddenly you hear a knock on the door.  
"Why do I always get interrupted while reading..?" you think but say suspiciously: "Is that you, Jareth?"  
"Yes", he answers behind the door, "are you hungry?"

You hear your stomach grumbling. You haven't eaten anything after getting to labyrinth.  
"Y-yes, I am... Why do you ask?"  
"Well, why wouldn't I ask? You haven't eaten anything. Come and eat dinner with me."

You put the book away and stand up. You open the door and see Jareth in a blue, sparkling suit. Damn, he looks handsome. He offers you his arm.  
"Milady, shall we go?"  
"Okay", you say and put your hand under his elbow.


	4. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goblin gourmet doesn't taste too good.

Jareth leads you to a high dining room. There's a table full of food in the room and busy goblin servants run around and carry food and forks and other necessary stuff. You see statues, some of them look like Jareth.

Jareth walks next to the table with you and sits on a throne-like, big and wooden chair at the end of the table. He signs to you to sit on an almost similar one next to him. You blush and sit. The servants have set the table and Jareth claps his hands.  
Big doors in the other end of the dining room open and dozens of guests walk slowly in and sit at the table. Many of them are goblins and all of the guests are more or less human-like. All of them wear their best clothes. When all of the guests have sat down, Jareth stands up and says:  
"Goblins, fairies, other creatures. May I announce that, after a long quest, we have a queen in the Underground."

He takes a glance at you and you blush even more. You stand up and nod. All the guests clap their hands (or similar limbs).  
Jareth raises his hand, clenches his fist as a mark of silence and sits down. You sit too. Everyone's quiet and waits for the next order from the almighty Goblin King. Jareth says:  
"Well, now when that's said, bon appetit."

Everybody starts to eat. When you lift one of the silver domes you see a pile of green mush.  
"Jareth", you whisper,"what is this?"  
He mumbles the name of the dish but you can't understand. You decide that you shouldn't eat it. All of the food seems unfamiliar to you.  
"Jareth, I'm quite sure that I can't eat any of these."

He sighs and clicks his fingers. Suddenly there's your favourite dish in front of you. You look suspiciously at it.  
"Is that edible for sure?" you ask Jareth. He frowns and says:  
"Of course it is. Didn't you say you were hungry?"  
You nod and taste your food. It sure is edible. And it tastes delicious.

You eat it all and when everyone's finished, more goblin servants come and clean the table. Then more goblins come with a giant cake. It's covered with whipped cream and flowers and everything nice. Then you see two figurines on the top of the cake. There are you and Jareth.

You frown and look furiously at Jareth.  
"What now, [name]? They're made of chocolate. You can eat them, too", he says.  
"That makes things seem like we're married! You're old enough to be my father!"

The king lets out a long sigh. "Well, you're the queen. And I am the king. We're not married yet, but..."  
"YET?! So I have to marry YOU?!" you shout. Everyone turns to look at you.  
Jareth tells them to keep on chatting. Then he leads you out of the room. When he's sure that no-one is hearing, he says:

"Well, what did you expect? You said 'Yes' for being the queen. And I am the king. So naturally we rule this kingdom together. We'll most likely get married sooner or later."

You stare at him in disbelief. That thought hadn't crossed your mind. Fingers crossed that this'd be better than your life Aboveground...

"W-why did you even want a queen? There are pretty ladies in here, too. Why did this happen to me?"  
"You were the one reading the book. It's a magic spell thing. It's too hard to explain. But I can't fall in love with the ladies here. It's just impossible. I only love human beings. Something went wrong with me when I was born I think... And I've ruled this kingdom for too long without a queen. And of course I need a heir to the throne-"  
"WHAT? So you're saying that I'm only here to have a baby for you?! You sicko! Let go of me! I'll leave right now! I'll go-"  
"No, no, no, [name], don't get me wrong! That's not the reason! Just as I told you, it's a far more complex thing!"

You calm down but don't trust the goblin man any more than before.  
"If we have to get married... I'll not marry you until I've grown up. So I'm oh-so-sorry, Jareth, but you'll have to wait."  
"It's only forever..." he mumbles and leads you back to the dining room.

You sit down and try to keep calm. Then you remember the cake. You take a slice. It looks like red velvet cake and you taste it.  
"Mmmbff! Yuck!" you shout and spit it on a napkin.  
"Jareth, what's in this cake?"  
"Blood and mashed autumn leaves. It's a traditional recipe here", he says and takes a piece for himself.  
Suddenly you feel sick. You stand up and walk to your room despite of Jareth's puzzled stare.

You go to your bathroom and wash your mouth. The cake tasted like metal and rotten vegetables. Such a gourmet dessert...

 

After about half an hour Jareth comes in your room. He doesn't see you anywhere so he knocks on the bathroom door.  
"[name], are you there? What's wrong?"  
"Yes, I'm here. I got sick because of that cake", you answer while you look in the mirror.  
"Sorry. I should've known better. The dinner is over, would you like to dance?"  
Dance? Why not.   
"Wait a moment, I'll come. Let's just hope that I won't vomit on you, ha ha..." you say sarcastically. After all, you decide to go.


	5. The Prom Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having fun at the prom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some His Dark Materials references. I love the book series by Philip Pullman. Back when I was writing this, I was reading the books.

You change your [dress/suit] to another one because you feel uncomfortable in your previous outfit. Then you go to the patiently waiting king of the goblins and grab his arm. Again he walks down the corridor with you.

The prom is in a room that's even bigger than the dining room. It's all white and sparkly. There are red and purple cushions in pool like places and stairs that lead to small balconies near the ceiling. Crystal chandeliers hang down from the ceiling and the room is full of dancing creatures. They're the dinner guests!

Jareth smiles, leads you in the middle of the dance floor and asks:   
"May you dance with me?"  
"I... I can't really dance", you say and blush.  
"That isn't a problem at all", Jareth says, carefully grabs your hand and back and leads you to a slow, spinning waltz. The music is like a dream and the guests make room for you two as you sway in the crowd. You feel, for the first time in the Underground, that you're safe. There's nothing to worry about. He looks at you and his eyes have a careful and curious yet soft and relaxed look. He's not sure if you like him or not, but he seems to like you a lot. His hold on your back is very gentle and he is very good at dancing. You don't really know how to waltz but with Jareth you do. 

When the song is over Jareth smiles, takes his hand off your back and kisses the back of your hand. Then he goes to the band and says something. He then clicks his fingers and something like a microphone appears in front of him. He clicks his fingers again and soon the cushions from the pools are in rows on the floor.   
He signs to you to sit right in front of him. You sit and so does everyone else in the room. Jareth gives a mark to the drummer goblin and it counts 'one-two-three-four' and starts a beat. The other band joins in and Jareth starts to sing:

"There's such a sad love deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel opened and closed within your eyes... I'll place the sky within your eyes..."

You admiringly watch him sing. He is really good at it. When he's finished the song he smiles at you and says:  
"For my queen, [name]."  
Then he tells everyone to stand up and he gets the cushions back to the pools with a movement of his finger.  
"The next one is for everyone who wants to dance!" Jareth cheers and starts with a new song.  
"You remind me of the babe", he says to the guitar playing goblin.  
"What babe?"  
"The babe with the power."  
"What power?"  
"Power of voodoo."  
"Who do?"  
"You do!"  
"Do what?"  
"Remind me of the babe!" Jareth says and points at you. You laugh.  
"I saw my babe crying as hard as babe could cry! What could I do..."  
He sings that and then he lets the band to continue with waltz and other more traditional dance music.

Jareth comes to you and you say:  
"Wow. I never thought that you could sing."  
He laughs and takes your hand.  
"Being a king in such a boring place like this is not very interesting. Of course I do have other activities than giving orders to the goblins."  
He leads you to another dance and one after another. Somehow you don't get tired at all. After the last dance he wants to dance you have a question in your mind.

"What exactly is there outside of the labyrinth? And how does this place connect to the Aboveground?"

Jareth's smile fades away.  
"Outside the labyrinth... There are other kingdoms and creatures. Like the kingdom of fairies. Of course here are some in the labyrinth, too. They've moved here for some reason. Then there are elves, monsters, dwarves, giants... Everything you can imagine. And lots of wastelands and deserts, mountains and other things like that."  
"Since when has this place existed?"  
"It has existed just as long as your world. And this world is connected to your world by a very special tissue in time and space. You know", he says and spreads his arms,"that there are countless universes everywhere. Between my hands alone there are more than a billion. We just can't see that."  
"Wait a minute... I think that I've read a book where someone said that... Now I remember! The Golden Compass!"  
"Kaisa is right. It's all true."  
"Wow. I never thought of that. I think that you just blew my mind."  
"Oh my, then we need to get it back right as soon as possible", he says and laughs. 

You two walk climb to one of the balconies. The room is so huge that you don't even think that you can realize its size. And after all it's not so big at all. It's magic. Suddenly you feel sleepy. Dancing has taken all your powers.  
"Jareth... I think that I'll go to sleep in a few minutes. I'm really tired."  
You yawn and lean towards the handrail. Jareth takes your hand in his and leads you back down the stairs of the balcony and through the dance hall.

Back in your own room you take a shower and change your clothes. It's nice to be in your own room again. Suddenly you remember your family.  
"I wonder what's happened to them... I'll ask him tomorrow", you think and fall asleep.


	6. And the Next Day...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast with Jareth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the title is a Bowie reference.

In the morning you wake up and get out of bed. You have no idea of what time it is, but you suppose it's an early morning. You do your usual morning routine and decide to look for breakfast.  
You open the door of your room and sneak in the corridor. You go to the dining room but the table is empty.

"It really is early, the breakfast hasn't been served yet."  
You wonder if Jareth is still sleeping. You walk out of the dining room and back to the corridor where your room is but you walk past it. At the end of the corridor you find a stairway and there are big wooden doors upstairs. You knock on them and Jareth's voice answers:  
"Who is it? Who dares to interrupt me while I'm dressing up?"  
"Jareth, it's me. Are you done soon?"  
"Ah, [name], it's you. Just a moment. Then I'll come and we'll eat breakfast together."

You patiently wait for Jareth. Your hear your stomach grumbling. He comes out of his bedroom and you two start climbing down the stairs. Jareth wears a different costume than yesterday, now he has tight gray pants, heeled boots, white shirt and black leather vest.  
"I see that you're looking at my clothes. Well, I wanted something else than the ones I wore yesterday", he says.  
"How many different costumes do you even have?" you ask and watch your feet.  
"Um... Wait a minute... Quite many."  
"You must have more costumes than Magda or me!"

Suddenly you remember what you had to ask Jareth.  
"By the way, how is my family doing? Can I go and visit them in the Aboveground?"  
Jareth sighs.  
"It's not that easy. Your family would freak out. You haven't aged at all but they've aged over ten years. Remember, they think that you moved abroad."  
Your eyes sink and you feel sad.  
"Oh, I see... Maybe some day?"  
"Mh, maybe", Jareth says with a hint of a smile, "of course there are a few portals for my goblins to do their job: to keep people believing in us and to get useful stuff. But you can't use those portals. If you'd come out of someone's cupboard... That'd be a bad thing."  
"Sure", you say and imagine a scene where you're in someone's cupboard when they open the door... That really would be a bad thing. The reporters would come, the police, even mom, dad and Magda if they recognized you... You shake your head for that thought and follow Jareth to the dining room.

The table is now set and full of all kinds of breakfasts. This time you recognize the most of them. Pancakes, bacon and eggs, toast, boiled eggs, fruits... And some goblin-style too. You decide to eat [your dish of choice] and it tastes just like in the Aboveground.  
"Wow. This is really good. Who made this?"  
Jareth himself eats rye bread with some kind of meat on it.  
"Hm? A few goblins work in the kitchen. They have brought the ingredients for your food from far away. Some of the ingredients are from different kingdoms, you see, we trade and buy goods here, and some of them are from your world."  
"Ah, I see. This tastes just like what my mom always made on holidays..." you say but don't finish your sentence.  
Jareth notices that you're sad because of your family again. His voice is soft when he says:  
"Don't be sad, your life is better here. You'll never get bullied, no annoying sisters..."

You fight against a sob.  
"I want to visit my family."  
Now Jareth looks sad.  
"I'm sorry but that's not possible. Something happened..."  
"If you've done anything to my family I swear I'll-" you start but Jareth stops you and says:  
"No, no, I haven't done anything to them. The spell that took you and your sister here only affected you two. Magda got rid of it as she returned and you got rid of it as you decided to stay here. So I haven't done anything to your family but if you want to see what happened, I'll show you."

He turns his hand around and a crystal ball appears onto his hand. It starts to shine and he moves his arm towards you so you can see in the ball. You see your parents, they're now over ten years older than before you got to the Underground. They're in a moving car, dad drives, reaching a crossroads. No-one seems to come and they start turning to left but suddenly another car that drives way too fast hits your parents' car... You close your eyes and shake your head.  
"It can't be true... It can't! No, no!" you cry and hide your face behind your hands. First you were brought here and now this... You can never meet your parents again.  
"Why did this hap-happen to me? Why? Did you cause that accident, Jareth? Was it made by you?!"

Jareth is once again clueless with a teenage, crying human girl, but he remains calm.  
"No. I told you that I didn't do anything to them. That would've happened to anyone anywhere. I don't even have power over them."  
You shake your head and sob on your seat. Jareth stretches his hand to stroke your back. This time you don't tell him to disappear. It doesn't matter. Actually his touch makes you feel a bit better.  
Jareth stands up and comes closer to you. He sits on the edge of your chair and lets you to lean against his chest while stroking your hair and back.  
"Hush, hush, I'm here. I'm here for you", he soothes. He is warm and his hair tickles your cheek but you don't care. You just want to cry.

You don't know how long you've cried, but you hear your distant voice saying:  
"What about Magda?"  
Jareth is still comforts you.  
"Magda? Oh, she's studying", he says softly.  
"Okay. That's nicer to hear than the previous news..." you sob again and bury your face in Jareth's shirt. He gently leans his chin against your head and starts to rock slowly back and forth like soothing a baby.  
"Hush, hush. You'll be all right, I promise."  
You feel like you could fall asleep on his lap... And then you remember that you just got up.  
"Jareth", you whisper.  
"Hm?"  
"What do I do now?"  
"Now what?"  
"Now when my parents are dead. What can I do?"  
"You can rule this kingdom with me. Remember, you're the queen."  
"Right."  
"Now, [name], finish your breakfast and I'll show you the throne room. How about that?"  
"Okay."

You eat in silence.


	7. Back To the Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're curious about the Labyrinth.

After eating Jareth calls the servant goblins and they clean the table. You're still quiet.  
"Well, I promised to show you the throne room", Jareth says. He stands up, gently grabs your hand and helps you to stand up. You two leave the dining room and go to the throne room. You forget your sadness as you look at it. It's mainly made of stone and wood. The throne is like an armchair but it's made of wood, leather, stone and... Bones? Or ivory?

There are long shelves on the walls and and they make all kinds of turns and twists. In the middle of the room there's a pool-like hole. The room is full of goblins. They make noise, they laugh, they run around...  
"QUIET!" Jareth shouts and every goblin stops what it does. They turn to stare at you and Jareth and arrange themselves in a row. Jareth walks to the throne with you and sits.  
"Oh, you don't have a throne yet. Tidhur!" he shouts. "Tell the carpenters to make a throne for the queen."

Tidhur, who is a tall and quite human-like goblin, nods and leaves the room. You look puzzled.  
"Is Tidhur a goblin? He looks different than most of them."  
"Yes, he is. He is very loyal, too. Some of his ancestors were faes. Like mine, though the most of my ancestors were faes. They're kind of like fairies or elves. Big fairies without wings you know."  
Jareth remembers that the goblins still stand in a row and tells them to do something useful. Then he looks at you.  
"While your throne is being made, would you like to sit here?" he asks and pats the throne. You shake your head and say that you want to look around. Some hens walk around in the room and some of the goblins clean places. You walk around in the room and Jareth sits on his throne. He has lifted his left foot on the arm part of the throne and taps his boot with something that looks like a riding crop. What a disturbing item...

You peek out of a window on the wall. You see the labyrinth. It looks majestic from above and you see many places where you haven't been to.  
"Hey Jareth, what's in there?" you ask and point at one of the places. It's like a forest. Jareth comes next to you and looks at where you point at.  
"Oh, there lives the firey gang. They're a bit... Wild."  
"Okay, what about there?" you ask and point at an another place.  
"That's the Bog of Eternal Stench. Be happy about that you've never been there."  
"Why?" "Because if you step in it, you'll stink for the rest of your life", Jareth says and smirks.  
"K. I'd like to visit labyrinth again with you now when we have time. What about that?" you ask him. He looks thoughtful and after a minute or two he says "why not".  
"But you'll have to stay with me, otherwise you'll most likely get lost", he continues.  
"Okay, when will we go?" you ask and look at Jareth.  
"Now."

Suddenly you stand in the labyrinth... With Jareth. Just like a couple of days ago. Was it just a couple of days ago? It feels like it would've been at least a year...  
"Well, where do you want to go first?" Jareth asks and puts his hand on your shoulder. You turn your head and see that he smirks.  
"Hmmm... I'll let you decide."  
"If that's what you want..." he says and starts walking. As the king walks some of the walls move away from him.  
"What is that, Jareth?" you ask and continue: "Why are the walls moving?"  
Jareth's head appears from behind one of the walls.  
"Didn't you notice that these walls are moving all the time? This is a changing labyrinth and I command it."

Ah. That's why you felt so strange when you woke up after falling down from the top of the wall. The walls had moved and rearranged many times during your blackout.  
"Now come here", Jareth says and his head disappears behind a wall. You follow him. You notice that you stand on the edge of a wall or a cliff; you can see a forest down there.  
"Does the firey gang live there?" you ask as you lean a bit forward.  
"Yes, they do. We're not going there. They're too wild."  
"Okay. What's ne-"  
You don't finish your sentence. You've gone too close to the edge and it breaks under your feet. Jareth tries to grab your hand but he doesn't reach it. You roll and tumble down, luckily the cliff isn't as steep as it looks. You check yourself and nothing has broken.  
"I'm alright", you shout at Jareth who's too far away to talk to normally.  
"Good to hear, that was quite a fall", he shouts and twirls around.

In a blink of an eye he's a barn owl. He glides down, stops next to you and turns back to his earlier form.  
"Oh, right. You can turn into an owl", you mutter. Seeing him in that form brings back memories... And you remember your family again.  
"Mum and dad... No... No..." you sob and cling to Jareth. He looks confused (he really doesn't know how to deal with teenage human girls) but he wraps his arms around you.  
"Hey, [name], we should get away from here as soon as possible."  
"Why?" you mumble against his chest.  
"Because the firey gang isn't very pleasant to meet. They're far too wild."  
"So how do we get out of here?" you ask. Jareth starts walking to the left by the wall.  
"We'll get to the doors without meeting the firey gang if we stay quiet..."  
A sudden crack makes you both almost jump. You look at your feet. You've stepped on a stick.  
"Oh no..." you mutter and hear whispering and laughing from the bushes. Furry red creatures jump in front of you two and start to dance and sing. The dance is grotesque; the creatures toss their heads and limbs around and suddenly they grab you and Jareth's arms.

"C'mon! C'mon n' dance with us!" they chant.  
"Hey, their heads won't c'moff. Let's take their heads off!"  
All this makes Jareth angry and he wriggles and grunts as the firies are trying to rip his head off.  
"Get away! I'm the king!" he shouts. The firies let go of him.  
"And let go of her, too. She's the queen! Let her go before I throw you to the Bog of Eternal Stench!"  
The furry and feathery hands let go of your head. The firey gang runs back to the forest, dancing.  
"Huh, thanks, Jareth", you say and gasp.  
"That was the least I could've done. Now let's get going. Or do you want to go back to the castle?"  
You think for a moment and say:  
"I don't want to go back to the castle yet. I want to see more places."  
Jareth nods.  
"If that's what you want."

He continues walking by the wall and soon you see a door. Jareth opens it. In the other side you see hedges in the form of a maze. When you look at the door from the other side you see that there's an ugly sculpture that holds the knocker.  
"That sure is ugly", you say.  
Suddenly the beast moves and starts to mumble.  
"Mm n glm!"  
"What?" you ask. Then you notice that there's an another door with a different sculpture on it.  
"Don't talk with ya mouth full!" it says to the other one. The other mumbles again.  
Jareth seems to be somewhat annoyed.  
"Hey [name], why are you wasting your time with these? We just came from there. That's useless. They're just ugly doorknockers."  
You glare at Jareth.  
"I want to know what's behind that other door!"  
You walk to the mumbling beast and take the knocker out of its mouth.  
"Phew! Thanks! It's so good to get that thing off. I said that I'm not ugly."  
The other knocker seems to notice that the other speaks because it says:  
"Mumble mumble mumble. You're such a great conversational company."  
"No good talkin' to him, he's deaf."

You glance at Jareth. He's facepalming.  
"[Name], can we just go, please?" he mumbles. The beast in front of you, the one that you just helped by taking the knocker out of his mouth, says:   
"Do you want to try that other door? Just knock and the door will open."  
"What's behind that other door, Jareth?" you ask. Jareth looks thoughtful and says:  
"If I remember it right there's a cave. Or something else. But I don't recommend going there."  
You decide not to knock and put the knocker ring back to the other beast's mouth.

You keep on walking with Jareth. The hedge maze is nice, a good place for having a picnic it seems.  
"We've got mazes like this in the Aboveground", you say to Jareth as you walk.  
"Really? That's... nice."  
You let Jareth go first because he knows the way without getting lost. As you turn around a corner a group of goblin soldiers runs across the path.  
"What are they doing?" you ask.  
"They're exercising I suppose."  
The soldiers notice you and Jareth and form a row.  
"Your Majesty!" they say.  
"What exactly are you doing?" Jareth asks the leader.  
"We're practicing, your Majesty."  
"Good. Please continue."  
The goblins continue running around.  
"Quite useless creatures", Jareth whispers to you.

You keep on walking after him and you two arrive to a plaza. There's a big vase in the middle of it on a table. Jareth steps in it.  
"Come here, [name], we'll go this way."  
"How are we going to fit in a vase that size?"  
"You'll see. Just follow me."  
you go into the vase after Jareth. It really isn't a vase at all, it's a way to a ladder that leads down. You climb it down after Jareth. Down on the solid ground Jareth leers around.  
"There must be a way somewhere..."  
He moves his hands around a wall, looking for a handle to press. He seems to notice something and presses the wall.  
"Ah. Here it is."  
A door opens in front of him.  
"This way, milady", he cheers.  
You smile and go first.  
"TURN BACK!"  
"THIS IS THE WRONG WAY!"  
"Beware, beware..."  
"This is not the way!"  
Suddenly you're surrounded by loud voices that are warning you. You go back to Jareth. He laughs.  
"What are you laughing at? You're awful! I was scared to death!"  
"Don't worry, they're just false alarms. They're harmless but a bit scary. And always on the right ways. See, it's easy to make someone change their mind with these."  
He steps past you and goes first.  
"This is not-" one of the stone faces tries to say but Jareth glares at it. You take his hand so that you won't get lost or anything.

 

Back in the castle your throne is done. The goblins are putting it to its place when a raven flies in. Tidhur notices that it has a message on its foot. He takes it off and reads it.  
"Oh", he says to himself, "I have to call Jareth."

 

You and Jareth have just got out of the path of false alarms when you hear the sound of a horn from the distance.  
"Oh my. We have to get back to the castle immediately", Jareth says and pulls you closer so that the teleportation would work. You feel like you'd be everywhere and nowhere at the same time for a second- and then the feeling's gone and you and Jareth are back in the throne room.  
Tidhur runs to Jareth and gives him the raven's message.  
"your Majesty, a raven brought this."  
Jareth takes the message and reads it.  
"[Name], the Fairy King has invited us for a party in his kingdom. We have to go there as soon as possible. Now go and pack for a few days' trip. And don't pack too much. The space is very limited."  
You nod and run to your room.


	8. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travelling to the Fairy Kingdom.

You take a bag and put there two trousers of your choice, underwear, t-shirt and one [dress/suit] and hygiene supplies. After that is done, you look at your current outfit. It’s dirty and dusty, so you decide to change it. You take clean clothes and put them on. Looks better now. Then you run back to Jareth who waits in the throne room.  
“you’re back I see”, he says. “We’ll have a gathering. Every king and queen from every kingdom is invited. It's Terenu the Fairy King's 700th birthday soon. You’ll get to know more when we’re in there. First, we have to travel there.”  
“How come you don’t just teleport there?” you ask.  
“Because that works only for short distances and inside my Labyrinth”, he replies and turns to Tidhur. “Tell the horse to come and tell the saddler to saddle her. We have to go now.”

Soon you ride a golden horse with Jareth. The horse is bigger than in the Aboveground so you both can sit on her comfortably. She is a beautiful horse and her name is Indolto. Indolto is a talking horse.

“Just like in the Chronicles of Narnia”, you think, “though the horses there aren’t golden.”  
Jareth holds the bridle and tells Indolto to start a trot. You travel like that for the whole day. The landscape changes from a rocky desert to a savannah and back. Jareth doesn’t talk very much during the journey. In the evening he tells you and Indolto that you will sleep over the night.  
“But I didn’t take a blanket with me”, you say.  
“Well, I thought that you’d sleep with me under my cloak. It’s super warm because it’s made of the finest silk and magic.”  
He smiles and gets off Indolto’s back. You get off too. you’re not very pleased with Jareth’s suggestion about sleeping next to him.  
“Why would I want to sleep next to you?” you ask. Jareth shrugs.  
“I didn’t really think so. But you’re the queen.”  
Pfft. Sure. You wrap your jacket tighter around yourself as the sun goes down. The desert really is cold at night. Jareth lights up a small fire on a pile of sticks. It doesn’t warm you very much.  
“Why don’t you make it bigger, Jareth?” you ask you sit on the ground close to the fire.  
“Sorry, I can’t. It’s the spell in this place. This is no man’s land. My spells are weak in here. This desert is a line between my and the fairies’ kingdoms. We should arrive to the Fairy Kingdom by tomorrow. Here, take this.”  
He throws you something. You look at it. It’s a piece of rye bread. Jareth has a similar piece and he takes a bite of it. Then he takes a bottle of water, drinks and offers it to you.  
“Thirsty?”  
You nod and take it. After eating Jareth lies on the ground and wraps his cloak around himself. You curl up on the opposite side of the fire. It barely warms you but you manage to fall asleep.

After a couple of hours, you wake up. It’s cold. Your breath makes small clouds in the air. Indolto sleeps peacefully a few metres away.  
“Jareth”, you whisper. He opens his eyes.  
“C-can I come next to you? I’m cold.”  
He nods and you lie next to him. It’s warm under his cloak. You move as close to him as possible. his body is warm and you press your cheek to his neck. You feel safe. His heart pounds against your chest and the rhythm of his breath lulls you to sleep.  
You wake up before Jareth. The sun has risen and you look at Jareth’s calm face. He looks so delicate when he’s asleep… High cheekbones, milk pale skin, thin lips. He could be made by a doll maker. You smile and close your eyes again.  
“Who could’ve thought”, you think, “that I’d sleep next to the Goblin King in the middle of a desert?”  
Jareth mumbles something. You gently poke his nose with your finger. He grimaces in his sleep and turns his head a bit to shake it off. You try hard not to chuckle.  
“Ja-re~eth… Wakey wakey.”  
He opens his eyes slowly.  
“Good morning, Sunshine”, you whisper and smile. He smiles too and blinks.  
“Morning. Did you sleep well, [name]?”  
“Yeah. Should we continue our journey?” you ask.  
Jareth turns on his stomach, stands up and stretches.  
“Yes, we should.”  
He yawns. You stand up and stretch too. Indolto comes to you two.  
“I found some grass while you two were still sleeping. I’m ready to continue.”  
Jareth gives you a similar snack as yesterday and eats with you. Then you and Jareth sit on Indolto’s back and the journey’s about to continue.

In the evening, you see something in the horizon. It’s a town.  
“That’s the kingdom of the fairies”, Jareth says. You arrive there a few hours later. The sun has set but the town is brightly lit. you ride to the gate. Some fairy guards salute Jareth and you and open the gates. The town behind the walls is stunning. It’s miniature size of course, but there’s a bigger area for guests. All the houses are small and cute. In every house, there is one or several fairies. They all come out and arrange in rows to see the guests. Jareth drops on his feet and tells you to follow. He holds Indolto’s bridle and walks next to her. You walk next to Jareth hand in hand. Soon Jareth stops. You hear a horn blowing somewhere and the fairies rearrange in two long, long rows.  
“The King!” shouts a tiny voice. You see a group of fairies approaching and one of them sits on a golden throne carried by other fairies. He must be the king. The group stops in front of you and Jareth and Jareth and the fairy king greet each other.  
“It’s great to see you here, Jareth”, the fairy king says.  
“My pleasure, Terenu”, Jareth replies. The fairy king leads you and Jareth to a palace. Indolto goes to a stable.


	9. In the Hall of the Fairy King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragic events during a happy party.

The palace isn’t fairy size; it’s built for bigger creatures for meeting. There are many different species in there: fairies, faes, elves, dwarves, red yetis, dryads, fawns, harpeys… All kinds of creatures you could only dream of. Jareth holds your hand tighter as you two go to the centre of the hall. Everyone looks happy. The fairy king sits on his throne and begins to talk:  
“Welcome, kings and queens. It’s my 700th birthday and I have organized a celebration. We’ll have a dinner in no time and then we shall dance. Have a good time, my friends!”  
A curtain in the other side of the hall opens and reveals a huge table. It’s full of all kinds of food- there’s even more than in Jareth’s party. Everyone sits and Terenu flies to the end of the table. You and Jareth sit in about the halfway of the table, between the dryads and the fawns. As you sit down you notice a black silhouette outside. It disappears just before you see it clearly.  
“Must’ve been a curious fairy”, you think and sit. The food looks delicious. This time you recognize most of the dishes. Chicken, mushrooms, venison, sauces, salads… The elf king, a tall, white haired elf raises his glass and cheers:  
“Let’s drink for Terenu!”  
You raise your glass. It’s filled with wine and you don’t want to drink it.  
Suddenly the same silhouette appears in the window again and disappears just as quickly. Before you realize what happens an arrow flies thru the room and straight to Jareth’s back.  
“JARETH!” you scream. He coughs blood and falls on the table. The arrow must’ve broken his lung. The others in the room look terrified. Terenu’s guards go out for searching but there’s nothing. The shooter has vanished. Elleroth the elf king comes to you.  
“Hurry, we don’t have much time. I have to remove this arrow and make a potion that’ll stop the bleeding and repair his lung.”  
He pulls the arrow out. You are shocked.  
“But what can I do?”  
Elleroth looks sadly at you.  
“For now, nothing. I’ll make the potion with Hadn the fawn king. Don’t worry, Jareth’ll be fine.”  
He doesn’t lose his cool. He carries Jareth away from the room with the fawn king. The royals start talking.  
“Everyone listen!” the fairy king says. “You know what to do when something like this happens. We must cast a spell to protect ourselves. Someone just shot the goblin king- Elleroth and Hadn will do their best to save him- and we must find the shooter. First we’ll form a force field that will prevent anyone from coming in. Everyone has to hold hands with each other and stand in a circle. Now, if you all come here, we’ll cast the spell. We need everyone for making it but keeping it up takes only a half of you”, the fairy king says.  
“But Terenu, what else does the barrier do than just stops the enemies for a short while?” someone asks.  
“It gives our scouts time to search the area and see if there are more enemies.”

The royals start to form a circle. They grab each other’s hands or similar limbs and stand still. You walk a few steps back to a window. You see a sea of lights from the fairy houses. No-one is out. All the fairies are in their houses.  
You look back at the royals who stand in the form of a circle. Their eyes are closed and they mumble strange words simultaneously. You can feel the magic in the room. It tingles in the back of your neck and makes your skin go goose bumps. The creatures in the circle yell the barrier spell even louder. Soon their voices are a deafening rumble and when you are sure your eyes are going to break it all stops. Everyone has opened their eyes. Their stare is blank and they all just stand still. The room is silent except for your own heartbeat in your ears. Du dum du dum…   
Purple lightnings strike around in the middle of the circle. You see a small dome that grows bigger and bigger. It expands around the circle and out of the hall, going through the walls and ceiling like a ghost. You look out of the window. The purple-ish dome grows around the kingdom of the fairies. You sit on the floor. After the spell is cast the dryad queen comes to you. She talks to you and her voice is like the humming of the wind in a forest.  
“It could’ve been any of us.”  
You raise your head and look in her grey eyes.  
“But why Jareth?” you mutter and start to sob. “I’ve lost my parents. If I lose Jareth too, I’ll be all alone!” you shout. The dryad looks empathetic. She puts her hand on your shoulder. It’s like a branch of some tree but at the same time it’s a human-like hand.  
“I can’t do much. But I’ll stay with you if you want. Well, I don’t know your name. My name is Threar. It means rowan. I am a rowan”, she says. You tell her your name.  
“So your name is [name]? What a nice name!”  
She asks you if you want to hear more about dryads. You nod and she starts to tell. You could listen to her for an eternity. Dryads sure know how to tell stories and legends from ancient times! She gets stopped by Elleroth who rushes to the hall.  
“[Name]! We need your help! Quickly. Follow me!”  
You run down a corridor with him.  
“Is it about Jareth?” you ask while you run.  
“Yes, it is. The arrow was poisoned. We need a certain ingredient for curing that but we don’t have it!”  
You arrive to the chamber where Hadn and Elleroth took Jareth. He lies on the table on his stomach. He’s shirtless and you can see purple lines all around the wound.  
“Oh my…” you whisper as you see it and take a step backwards. Hadn says: “We need a flower called Grimulin. Here’s a picture of it.” he gives you a paper with a drawing of a flower on it. It’s black, purple, green and aqua colour and is the shape of a bell.  
“Where can I find this?” you ask.  
“It grows in a forest not very far away from here. But beware, there are strangler vines in there. Ask Threar to come with you. She knows the forests.”  
You nod, take a final glance at Jareth and leave the chamber. His life in in your hands now.


	10. The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You look for the flower.

You get back to the hall and search for Threar. She talks to someone. You walk to her and ask if she could come with you.  
“I can come with you if you want”, she says. You go out and Threar tells you that the forest is about ten miles away, just behind the border of the fairy kingdom.  
“And I was told it’s not far from here! Oh, we’ll never get there in time”, you moan. “Unless…” You walk to the stable. Indolto is there and she’s nervous.  
“Indolto”, you say, “could you take me and Threar to a forest nearby?”  
She looks at you and nods. You climb onto the saddle and Threar sits behind you. Indolto heads out of the centre of the kingdom and to the East.  
“Hey Threar, wait a minute! If we go out of the barrier dome how do we get back in? And how do we get outside?”  
She tells you that you can go out of the barrier without any problems and that she can call the Dryad King via telepathy and he can open a door on the barrier.

The night is dark blue and cold. The landscape is mostly meadow and a few fruit trees when you ride closer to the border. The meadow changes to a forest at the very border where the barrier ends. It’s taken about a half an hour to ride there. You tell Indolto to stop, tie her bridle to a tree and go searching for Grimulin with Threar. The forest is hard to walk in at night; you trip and fall many times because you hit your feet on roots and rocks but somehow Threar dodges all of them and walks steadily.  
“Well, of course she does”, you think. “She’s a tree spirit.” You try to follow her in the cold and dim moonlight and not to lose her while she keeps on walking and you keep on tumbling.  
“We mustn’t make any more noise, [name]”, she whispers, “or the strangler vines will attack us. They grow near the centre.”  
You nod and try to walk even more carefully. The forest begins to turn swampy. You’re near the centre.  
“Grimulin should be somewhere near us now”, Threar whispers. You accidentally step in a puddle of mud and wet your shoe. Spider webs tangle to your hair and face as you walk but they’re impossible to wipe off. The closer you get to the centre, the darker it gets. Threar stops and taps your shoulder.

“Look”, she says quietly, “there it is.” You can barely see her pointing at a dimly glowing flower on a bunch of moss. It looks just like the drawing.

“Now just pick it up carefully so we can leave this place”, she whispers. You nod and take a step forward. you’re about to pick the flower up when a giant spider falls on your hand and you scream. The spider runs away in fright. “Oh no”, you say as a strange, sizzling sound fills the air. It’s like nothing you’ve heard before. The strangler vines have woken up. They approach you and Threar as one but spread to individual vines as they reach you. You grab a stick and hit them but one vine grabs the stick and another one straps your wrist. You yell. They feel like ropes on your skin and their small spikes tingle. More vines wrap around your body and neck and you feel like suffocating. The vine squeezes your neck harder and harder and all the spikes feel like needles… You gasp and try to scream. No-one can be seen around except Threar. She’s trying to struggle against the vines next to you but they wrap her just like they wrapped you.  
“Help…” you whisper. You see Threar staring at the silhouette of a big rock.  
“WHO GOES?” a ground-shaking voice asks. “WHO GOES? THIS IS MY FOREST!”  
The voice is so low you can barely hear it. “WHO WOKE ME UP?!” the rock shouts and turns around. What was visible on the ground was its back. It stands at least five metres tall. Its featureless, rough face looks at you. “YOU! YOU WOKE ME UP! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”  
You shake. “I…” you gasp. “I am [name] ah-and I came here to get Grimulin fh- for a potion…”  
“WHAT POTION?” the creature growls.  
“A potion for my friend… He’s poisoned and I need t-this plant.” Talking is really painful now.  
“WHY WOULD I LET YOU TAKE A RARE FLOWER FROM MY FOREST? I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR FRIEND’S LIFE. IT DOESN’T CONCERN ME. I WAS SLEEPING SO NICELY - AFTER FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OF TAKING CARE OF THE ROCKS IN THE DESERT - UNTIL YOU WOKE ME UUUP!”  
The vines tighten their grip. You gak.  
“Please… If Jareth doesn’t get potion soon, he’ll die!” you cry and immediately think of yourself sitting in front of Jareth’s grave. It mustn’t happen!  
“JARETH?!” the rock growls. “Oh. I knew him when he was little. What a rascal. I taught him to control stone…”  
“Y-you know Jareth?” Threar wheezes.  
“I do”, the rock creature says.  
“He’s the Goblin King nowadays”, you mumble, “I’m the Goblin Queen.” The creature looks like it’s frowning.  
“If that’s so… If that’s for Jareth… then I’ll let you to take Grimulin.”  
“Thank you so much!” you exclaim. The rock monster extends its arm and cuts the vines with one swipe. It does the same for the vines holding Threar. You fall on moss with a soft ‘thud’ sound, get up and pick the flower up. You thank the rock creature. “No problem”, it says, “and greetings from Boldorus.” It crawls back to the spot he was sleeping on.  
“Sure!” Threar chants. She leans to you. “It helped us this time”, she whispers nervously, “but we’re not out of here yet. Now be quiet.” You nod. “Let’s go before this flower dies”, you whisper worryingly and turn around to go back to Indolto.  
“[name]”, Threar whispers and grabs your shoulder, “we came this way.” She points the other way. you blush and follow her.  
Indolto is still waiting for you where you left her. She is very nervous. “I really don’t like this place or situation. I can he-he-hear the vines hissing and strange creatures crawling”, she neighs and shakes her head. “I-hi-hi-hi want to get away from this place.”  
“Threar, pleace send a telepathic message to the Dryad King.” Threar nods and her gaze turns blank. After a few minutes, she speaks. “He’s coming. Be patient.”  
Grimulin in your hand has started drying and it’s already a bit wrinkly. The time’s short…  
“Hey Threar”, you say as the flower wrinkles even more, ”can you help with this?”  
She shakes her head and says that she can’t help since the flower is already picked up and can’t be put back to the ground.  
You have almost lost your hope when you see two figures coming closer. One is someone riding a horse and one is something human-like but flying. A rectangle-shape door opens to the dome and you, Threar and Indolto walk in. The Dryad King, whose name is Jupher (which means Maple in Dryadish), has come with Nevaeh the Harpey Queen. You greet them, they greet you, Threar says she’ll stay with Jupher so you can go back to the palace faster, you climb on Indolto’s back and she starts to gallop.

Meadow. Night. Endless night. And Jareth’s there waiting for potion. You swallow hard and try to focus on balancing yourself on the horse’s back. Finally, you arrive to the stables. You hardly wait for Indolto to stop, jump off, run to the palace, past the circle of the other royals keeping the barrier up, down the corridor and to the room where Jareth still lies on the table, unconscious. You hand the wrinkled flower to Elleroth.  
Jareth seems very weak as you gaze at him. The purple lines around the wound have spread. his eyes are closed. “Will he survive?” you pant.  
“We’ve done everything we were able to”, Elleroth says and you nod. You see everything in two and your neck and arm itch. You lift your sleeve and see red dots all over your arm. You feel dizzy and the floor hits you abruptly in the face.


	11. Drowsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery and the journey back to Labyrinth.

You open your eyes in a dimly lit room. A small torch is the only source of light. You feel nauseated and dizzy. “What… When… Where… Where’s Jareth?!” you shout and almost jump out of bed.  
“He’s there”, says Elleroth’s voice. He stands in the doorway and points at the other side of the room.  
“Is he alive?” you ask.  
“Yes, he is. It’ll take him some time to recover but he’ll be fine. We made as strong potion as we could.”  
You scratch your arm and look at it. “Uh, Elleroth, what are these?” you ask and point at the red dots on your arm.  
“It seems that the strangler vines are poisonous to humans. You’re lucky; we had enough potion for you, too. Those dots will itch for a couple of days, then they should disappear.”  
“Okay. May I walk?”  
He nods. “Sure. If you’re not dizzy.”  
You put your feet on the floor and stand up. A sudden drop of blood pressure makes your vision blur but it goes away after a few seconds. You look at yourself and see a silky nightgown. You turn to Elleroth. “Who-”  
“Don’t worry. We asked Threar to change your clothes. Your own clothes are there”, he says and points at a chair next to your bed. your clothes are on it.  
“Ah.” you stroll to Jareth’s bed. He sleeps peacefully on his stomach.  
“How long must he sleep?”  
“Until he wakes up. The potion gives a long sleep.”  
“Then how come am I already awake?”  
“You got a smaller dose.”  
“Okay”, you say, “how long did I sleep?”  
“About two days straight”, Elleroth says.  
Two days? So long? You wonder what’s happened while you’ve slept. “What’s going on up there?”  
“They’ve seen no-one yet though no-one ever knows what’ll happen.”  
You sit on the floor next to Jareth’s bed. “I see. How can I help?”  
Elleroth turns around to go out of the door. “Stay here with him for some time in case something happens. Someone’ll bring you food soon. I must go now.” He leaves the room.  
You sit on the floor and listen to Jareth’s breathing. “Jareth”, you whisper, ”please wake up soon”. You start thinking about the past few days. how long have you been in the Underground? For about a week. Just a week. And so much has happened. he took your sister away, you became the Goblin Queen, you danced with Jareth, your parents died, you slept in a desert next to Jareth, you saved him… Much more than being bullied at school and by Magda. You shake these thoughts off your mind and start to draw shapes on the stone floor with your finger. Triangles and squares, ellipses and spirals. Zig-zag lines and labyrinth. Labyrinth… You gaze at Jareth. Nothing new. You keep on drawing and concentrate.  
You forget everything else.  
“[Name]”, a voice says, “I brought you food.” You’re back in the room where the Fawn King holds a tray with some bread and butter on it. He puts it on your bed and leaves the room.  
“Thank you!” you shout after him. The bread is soft and tastes fresh; it’s the best bread you’ve ever eaten. Some butter makes it taste even better.   
After eating you sit on your bed and sigh. “When will you wake up, Jareth… I miss you.” you scratch your arm again, remember what Elleroth said and stop. Jareth sleeps still. He huffs. He doesn’t seem to wake up and he’s peaceful.  
You go to the big hall and talk with Threar and some others.  
“Has anyone found anything?” you ask Terenu.  
“No, unfortunately not. But we’re not going to rest before we find the shooter!”  
You go to Threar and Jupher.  
“Hi, [name]! How are you?” Threar asks.  
“As fine as I can be in this condition”, you reply and smile. Jupher turns to you. “How’s Jareth?” he asks.  
“Oh, he’s still sleeping. He looks better, though. The potion was effective it seems”, you say.  
“Good to hear.”  
You go on chit-chatting with the others, everyone asks about Jareth. Then you eat more with some of the royals and go back to the chamber about an hour later. Jareth sleeps. You decide to take a nap and lie on your bed.

You wake up with a foul taste in your mouth. You sit and rub your eyes. “Gosh, I think I slept longer than I thought I would”, you mutter and look at Jareth. Nope, he still sleeps though he’s turned on his right side so he faces you. Suddenly he twitches and moans silently. You leap next to his bed, crouch and place your hand on his hand; he calms down.  
You sneak to the door and open it. It creaks and you get a bit startled. You look both ways in the corridors and listen. You can hear the other royals talking. “I wonder what time is it”, you think. Elleroth comes down the corridor.  
“Hi, Elleroth! What time is it?”  
Elleroth seems very tired and stressed; he’s most likely been keeping the barrier up. “it’s 3 past 4 AM and everyone’s dead tired.”  
Someone shouts his name from the big hall and he turns around with a grunt. “What now…” he mutters and goes back. You ask if you can go too and he nods.  
“What’s the matter?” he asks the servant who had called his name.  
“Your Highness, the fairy soldiers had found the one who shot Jareth the Goblin King.”  
Your heart beats faster.  
“Good Mighties!” Elleroth exclaims. “Hurry, [name], this is important.”  
In the middle of the big hall the royals have stopped keeping the barrier up. They sit everywhere in around the room and Terenu the Fairy King sits on his throne.  
“Ah! Elleroth, [name]! The soldiers have caught a fairy who was found guilty of shooting Jareth the Goblin King with a poisoned arrow.” Terenu tells that the captain said the caught fairy was a former soldier who got kicked out of army because he was evil. He got deported. He had come back and wanted to revenge. He just shot from the window, not aiming at a particular person. “He’ll get punished”, Terenu then says. Luckily the criminal fairy had worked alone.  
“Thank you for telling this, Terenu”, you say. You hear your stomach grumbling.  
“Uh, is there anything to eat? I am very hungry.”  
Elleroth and Terenu smile.  
“Sure”, Terenu says. “On the table.”  
You go there, eat a few pancakes, go back to your chamber, change the nightgown on and sleep until morning.  
You wake up, yawn and stretch. Jareth has turned on his left side. He looks normal now though the gaped wound is still purplish. He takes a deep breath and turns on his back. Suddenly his eyes blink open and he gasps.  
“Uuuhhhff! My back hurts!”  
You jump out of bed and quickly go next to his bed.  
“It’s all right, it’s all right, Jareth, we’re in Terenu’s palace in the Fairy Kingdom. Relax.”  
Jareth looks at you. “Oh, [name].” He coughs. “What happened? I only remember pain in my back.”  
“You… got shot a few days ago. There was poison in the arrow and it hit you in the back.” you tell him the whole story until his awakening. Jareth listens. When you finish, he says: “Oh my. Quite a trouble. Well, I don’t think we can go home soon. My back is sore and riding isn’t an option for some time.”  
You nod and smile.  
“What now, [name]?”  
“I’m just so happy to get you back, Jareth”, you say and carefully hug him. He smiles too.

You stay in the palace for a week. Jareth is healing quickly and Elleroth and Hadn make a potion that relieves paint in the wound. One day terenu arranges a new celebration since the previous one didn’t go too well; this time everything does go well. The next day most of the other royals leave.  
“Thank you for everything, Elleroth, Terenu, Threar, Jupher, Hadn and everyone else”, you say. Jareth nods. They all say it wasn’t a big deal.  
You and Jareth leave the next day. You and Jareth pack your things, thank Terenu once more, get Indolto saddled and start your journey back to the Kingdom of Goblins. The journey goes well and after a couple of days you get there.  
When you reach the castle, Jareth is suspicious.  
“I am quite sure everything isn’t like it should be…”  
“How come?”  
Jareth sighs. “These goblins can’t really do anything without my orders. Well, let’s just hope that Tidhur has kept them in order.”  
You two go in. The whole place is a mess, it’s even messier than usually. It looks like a war field. Some goblins run to you two and look very embarrassed.  
“Ah, eh, uh, Yeh Majesteh… We… Wer cleanin’ the whol place.”  
Jareth frowns at them. “Oh really?” he says sarcastically. “Bring Tidhur here.”  
“Yes, Yeh Majesteh!” the goblins scream and run away in fright. A bit later Tidhur comes.  
“Tidhur, why is my castle such a mess?”  
“Um, Your Majesty, the others won’t listen to me”, Tidhur says.  
Jareth sighs again. “I’ll get this place cleaned, then. Good Mighties, I am tired of this already.”  
You put your hand on his shoulder. “Well, at least we’re home and safe and sound.”  
“True”, he says and smirks. You smirk too. This is your home now and you like it.  
“By the way”, Jareth says, “would you like to learn a few magic tricks?”  
“Of course. Anytime.”


	12. Epilogue: Seven Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the main story.

A loud knock on your door wakes you up. A goblin servant comes in.  
“Yeh Highness! I’s Ya weddin’ day!” it shouts.  
“I know, I know, Jareth and I decided it. Now calm down, will you”, you mumble and try to sleep.  
“Okie, Yeh Highness, I’ll go”, it says and leaves the door open. You klick your fingers and it slams shut.

The days is full of magic. It’s traditional that the wedding couple is apart until the ceremony, so you don’t see Jareth yet. Goblin servants race around and yell orders. They carry sparkly stuff, envelopes, chairs and everything else that could be needed for the King and Queen’s wedding.  
The tailors have made you a dress. You go and see it.  
“Oh my goodness!” you cheer as you see it. “This is absolutely perfect. you’ve done a great job.”  
“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Okay. It’s the big moment. You step on the backyard of the castle. Jareth has widened it with a spell but it’s still crowded by guests. You see Threar; she waves at you. Then you see Jareth and forget everything else. He walks next to you and takes your hand in his.   
You’re a beautiful couple: You in your puffy, night-blue satin dress accessorized with black feathers around your neck and wrists and some on your dress, Jareth in a white, loose shirt, tight, white leggings, white gloves and boots, a golden pendant and a golden and white feather shawl.  
Raven and Barn Owl.  
Jareth smiles and you two start walking. You walk to into a circle in the middle of the yard. Now Jareth takes both of your hands in his.  
“[Name], do you want to fear me, love me, do as I say, so I’ll be your slave?” he asks.  
“Yes, I do”, you reply. “Jareth, do you want to fear me, love me, do as I say, so I’ll be your slave?”  
“yes, I do.”  
A golden ribbon appears and ties you and Jareth’s hands together. Then it disappears. The audience applauds. You and Jareth smile. He leans a bit closer and kisses you. You kiss him back.  
“That won’t be the last kiss for sure”, he says and grins. You laugh and kiss him again.

THE END


End file.
